Then and Now
by homesickdelko
Summary: They were coworkers, partners, best friends... Lovers.
1. Then

AN: This fic is dedicated to Beth.

 _Then_

He stood in front of her with that smile, a smile that made her melt because she knew that, when he wore it, he was falling in love with her all over again. They were hand in hand, fingers laced as their eyes met. She saw his love for her- something he was never afraid to show- and those inevitable feelings she felt had rattled her heart for so long but she wasn't Eric, she wasn't good at being an open book like him. Even with complete confirmation of his feelings for her, even with him telling a therapist he wanted to _settle down with her,_ she was afraid, afraid because she couldn't bare to lose him if things didn't work. Despite all the reasons she hid behind for why she and Eric shouldn't cross that line, she still felt an emptiness inside her, an ache deep in her heart that only he could fill. The feeling was a complicated one for her, they were coworkers, partners, eachothers best friend. She'd spent so many nights alone, unable to fall asleep because that ache deep inside her chest wouldn't let up.

But then she was kidnapped, and Eric insisted on taking her home. The moment they walked into her apartment Eric pulled her into a tight hug, resting his head on hers as he felt her go limp against him. He held her as she cried out her fear, held her through the night and promised to hold her every night she needed him to. That's when they crossed the line. They were coworkers, partners, best friends. Lovers.

The latter was relatively secret, at least that's what they wanted. They never told anyone, never publicly came out as "boyfriend and girlfriend." Despite the fact that most of the reasons she'd had for why they shouldn't date were all based out of fear and could easily be erased, the issue of IAB was not one that they could talk through. The less everyone knew, the better. But IAB didn't stop Eric from proposing to her on their two year anniversary, and they didn't stop Calleigh from saying yes. Didn't stop them from standing together at an alter on the beach.

No one was there except a clergy and the soft sound of waves splashing ashore. He wore a black dress shirt and black dress pants, she a simple white dress, and they both felt the soft sand of the beach beneath their bare feet and between their toes. It was small, private, simple, but she felt like it was perfect.

Calleigh never thought she'd be one to elope but then again, Calleigh never thought she'd date someone that she worked with... Even though she had with Jake and John and Peter but they didn't work together like she and Eric did, none of them managed to make her smile like Eric did, they didn't make her heart flutter or fill that emptiness she'd felt inside her for so long. But Eric did, completely.

Right now nothing mattered other than that they were hand in hand together, Eric fetching two rings from his pocket. He knew Calleigh wanted something simple, something that was sentimental and not too expensive. He pulled out two metal bands made from sterling silver, todays date engraved on the inside of both rings. She smiled at him when he put it on her ring finger, and she could feel his palms a little damp from nerves. She squeezed his hand as reassurance and in turn put his ring on his finger, then re-laced their hands.

"Do you, Eric Delko, take Calleigh Duquesne, to be your lawfully wedded wife."  
He squeezed her hand, "I do."

"And do you, Calleigh Duquesne, take Eric to be your lawfully wedded husband?"  
"I do."

"By the state of Florida and Miami Dade county, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."  
His hands framed her face and she smiled as he kissed her softly, sweetly, and Calleigh was completely certain of him, of them. The kiss broke after a few moments, their foreheads together, her arms around his neck, his around her hips as they held each other close.

"I love you," he whispered to her.

"I love you too."


	2. Now

_Now_

She sat on the edge of the bathtub in Erics shirt with a little white stick in hand. Eric was in the kitchen and she told herself yesterday that if she felt nauseous once again she'd take the test. The nausea had been coming and going for the past week or so, and it's not like there wasn't a chance; in retrospect they'd been pretty reckless the past few months or so. She'd been putting off filling her prescription because life got in the way, and maybe, subconsciously, she wanted this. They'd stopped using condoms after their second or third time in bed, and he knew she'd stopped taking her birth control a few months ago and she knew they wouldn't go back to condoms, so they both depended on Erics ability to time. He was generally able to pull out in time, but there were a few occasions after they split a bottle of wine late at night... He was a little too drunk to time right and he'd apologized to her both then and the morning after, and in response she kissed him and told him not to, and the second time it happened she told him it was okay, after that he stopped paying attention to his ability to time and she stopped caring.

5 minutes had passed and a tiny pink plus sign appeared on the test screen. Her heart skipped a beat and a new feeling of warmth washed over her. She stood up, put the test on the bathroom counter, and made her way to the kitchen.

"Eric," she said, watching him turn in nothing but boxers while he made eggs at the stove.

"Breakfast is almost-"  
"Eric I'm pregnant," she didn't meant to blurt it out like that.

He paused, set down the spatula and turned to her, "you're pregnant?"  
She nodded with a huge smile and he ran to her, pulling her into a tight hug, "we're gonna have a baby," he said with a grin, realization washing over him with each word he said aloud, "we're gonna have a family."  
She nodded and pulled out of the hug to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his middle, "I love you," she said against his lips. His hands found their way to her hair and his lips brushed hers, "God I love you," he breathed against her. She pulled away from him slightly to catch his eyes with hers. He saw her wearing a blindingly bright smile, the same one she wore on their wedding day almost a year before.

"We can't keep this secret forever," Caleigh told him.  
"I don't care about IAB, I don't care if I transfer, Calleigh," his smile was brighter than the sun outside, "baby, we're gonna have a family... this is what I've always wanted." His hands played with the soft strands of her hair.

She felt his heated skin as her hands moved up and down his sides, "I know," she murmured, her head resting on his chest "me too."

They held each other close, a microscopic sized seamonkey mix of the two of them in her belly, and Eric would choose Calleigh, choose family, choose _this_ over the lab anyday, anytime. He loved being her coworker and her partner, but he loved being her husband, being the father of her children, far more. And Eric knew that, with H's help, they'd find a way to make it work.


End file.
